IPOH, Dec 10 (Bernama) -- The suggestion to hand over the management of the Perak football squad for the 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) to the Perak Football Association (PAFA) will be brought to the State Sports Council Management Committee meeting, according to a state executive councillor.
Khairudin Abu Hanipah, who is in charge of Education, Higher Education, Youth and Sports, said any decision regarding the proposal would be finalised during the meeting.
“Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani (Mohamad) has highlighted this to ensure early preparations for the state football squad for the 2026 SUKMA in Selangor.
“However, if the state government entrusts this responsibility to PAFA, the association must not only focus on the SUKMA squad but also develop grassroots football,” he said during a press conference following the dinner and launch ceremony of the Perak Sejahtera Football League 2024/2025 here last night.
The launch was officiated by Saarani and attended by PAFA president Datuk Mohd Azhar Jamaluddin.
Khairudin emphasised that PAFA must pay attention to grassroots player development to restore its reputation as a formidable football team in the national arena.
“This development includes school-level football, women’s football, as well as fostering amateur football clubs and affiliated member clubs in Perak.
“We want this development process to be continuous to ensure a steady pipeline of talent for all age groups so that we are always prepared and have strong representatives,” he said.
Elaborating on the preparations for the Belang Tarung Tiga Warna – Extended Versions 2.0 2025 programme for the 2026 SUKMA, he said efforts would focus on 28 core sports.
“For SUKMA 2024 in Sarawak, we sent 132 male and 130 female athletes, all of whom remain eligible to compete in Selangor. They will form the core of athletes for the Belang Tarung Tiga Warna 2.0 programme.
“Our focus will be on aquatics, archery, shooting, athletics, karate and silat, as well as women’s participation in rugby, football, and futsal, which are medal prospects,” he added.
-- BERNAMA
